Shoe soling machine



April 29, 1941. c. A. WATKINS ET AL 2,240,429

SHOE somne MACHINE Filed June 22, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 29, 1941. c; A. WATKINS ET AL SHOE SOLING MACHINE W W 2 W? W t C $46 h QW /fi M S a 6M a 5. gr 6 .M 6 W may Z .M 5 y Filed June 22, 1938 April 29, 1941. c. A. WATKINS ET AL SHOE SOLING MACHINE Filed June 22, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 mummlmmnmml April 29, 1941.

C. A. WATKINS ETAL SHOE SOLING MACHINE Filed June 22, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 April 29, 1941. c. A. WATKINS ETAL SHOE SOLING MACHINE Filed June 22 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 0 0S W; W g m wE/ fl 4 2 "WWW 60 0 I m d 62.0/ a I W M F 2 w M 5 a y K Patented 2a 194i- SHOE SOLING MACHINE can-mammalian.

Ga; aasignorn'to The Auto '1'. Ian-h, Atlanta Wrigllh and Clifford J Bolercompany, Atlanta. Ga. 1 snue tuacm as. less, No. 15,234

. v 3 China. This invention relates to a machine layers of materials and more particularly has reference tov a machine for uniting layers of material, such as, for instance, the soles of shoes. It is, of course, obvious that the invention is of much broader scope and can be employed for securing boxes, crates and the like. The machine covered in the present application is generally similar to the apparatus disclosed in Davis J. Aiouelo et a1. application, Serial No. 210,288, flied May 28, 1938, but include numerous improved features. An important object of the present invention is to provide a machine for making and inserting fasteners into layers of material which embodies .means for feeding the wire to the cutting mechanism, maintaining the wire against retraction and controlling the feeding mechanism to determine and vary the lengths of the fastener members Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine for making and inserting fasteners into layers of materials, which is provided with means for varying the length of the wire to be fed to the feeding mechanism which is simple in construction and operation.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a machine for making and inserting metallic fasteners into layers of material to be united, the

ion-'41) ioruniting or anvil on which is supported the materialto be united is provided with means by which this'member ean be readily adjusted. In addition, the present machine embodies a mechanism simple in construction and operation by which the length of the wire fed to the feeding mechanism can be varied. p

In order to make our invention more easily understood, there is shown in the accompanying drawings, means for rrying the same into practical effect without limiting the improvements in their useful applications to the particular construction, which for the purpose .of explanation, have been made the subject of illustration.

In the drawings in which like numerals indicatesimilar parts:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing our machine for making and inserting metallic fasteners.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the machine in Figure 1. I

Figure 3 is a view taken along-line 3-4 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

anvil or horn of which can be quickly and easily adjusted to suit any. given situation.

, Still another object of this invention is to provide a machine for making and inserting fasteners into layers of material to be united which includes means whereby the countersink of the fastener inserting mechanism can be regulated.

Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a machine for making and inserting metallic fasteners into layers of materials to be united in which the fastener is formed, inserted and clinched in the materials to be united by a single operation on the part of theoperator.

To achieve the above and other important objects, the present invention embraces generally the idea of providing a machine in which metallic fasteners are formed from 'a continuous strand of wire. The machine include a wire feeding mechanism, a fastener inserting mechanism and a cutting mechanism which are synchronously associated and a single operation on the part of the operator causes each of the mechanisms to perform its respective function. More specineally, the instant invention provides means whereby the counter-sink of the fastener inserting member into the materials to be united can be quickly and easily regulated. Also, the horn Figure 4 is a top plan view of the housing containing the feeding, cutting and inserting mechanisms.

Figure Bis a view taken along line H of Figure 8 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is a view taken along line 6-8 of Figure 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 7 is a view taken along line 1-1 of Figure 6 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is a view taken along line 8 -l of Figure 6 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 9 is a view taken along line 9-9 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 10 is a view taken along line iiill of Figure 9-looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure his a view taken along line ll-li of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 12 is a view taken along line |2-l2 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 13 is a view taken along line iS-i! of Figure 12 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 14 is a view taken along line il-ll of Figure 13 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 1, there is illustrated a machine for making and inserting metallic fasteners comprising a base I, a shelf 2 adjacent the top of the base I, and an upright bracket I carried by the shelf. A vertically movable anvil or horn 4 is supported in a sleeve 6 which extends through an aperture in the shelf 2. The horn l is adjustable to accommodate different shapes and sizes of shoes as will hereinafter be more fully discussed. The bracket 3 terminates in a head I having lateral flanges 8 and horizontally extending portions I and ID in the upper and lower ends of the head as shown in Figure 5. A housing or casing designated generally I2 is removably attached to the head I and contains a wire feeding mechanism F, a plunger or fastener inserting mechanism P, and a knife or fastener forming mechanism K.

Carried on a bracket l5 attached to the head I is a casing ii in which is rotatably mounted a reel of wire adapted to be guided into the housing I: as shown at H.

The feeding, plunger and cutting mechanisms F, P and K, respectively, together with the horn is pivoted at the base I as indicated at l9. An operating rod 20 is suitably pivotedto the pedal it. A spring 2| associated at one end with the treadle l8 and at its opposite end to the base I a 39 as shown at 55 and is further provided with an 4, are operated-by a treadle or foot pedal I11 that tends to urge normally the operating rod 2| upwardly as illustrated in Figure l.

A second rod 22 is also pivoted to the pedal is. Attached to the upper end of the rod 22 is one end of a spring 23 which has its other end disposed over a hook carried by an operating arm 24. The arm 24 is pivoted as shown at 2Ii in a. bracket suitably secured to the inner wall of the base I. -A roller 26 is-mounted in a bifurcated end of the arm 24 and is disposed beneath th horn 4 as best shown in Figure 12.

As will later become more readily apparent,

when pressure is applied to the treadle ll, thev feeder, plunger and cutting mechanisms, together with the horn will be operated 7 simultaneously. To limit the the upward movement of the treadle "and the .control rod 20, there is provided a stop mechanism designated 28. The stop mechanism 28 is preferably of the shock absorbing type. Not

only will this structure serve asa limit for the upward stroke of the control-rod 2|. but also it willreduce the shock and vibration caused by the release of the treadle l8.

Attached to the horizontal portion ill by a J screw 3| is'the lower portion of a head casting designated II which serves as a support and guide elongated aperture 56. Positioned in the portion 58 is a block 51 which is secured to the casting by a screw 58. A hold-back key 59 having a wire engaging projection 60 is pivoted to the block 51 as shown at II. The key is recessed at 62 to form a seat for one end of a coil spring 63, the other end of which is suitably attached to the side wall of the groove 5!. The spring 63 will hold the pro-- jectionil in contact with a strand of wire, therebypreventing the retraction of the wire unless thegh projection moves outof engagement therewi a The wire feeding mechanism includes a bracket 65 slidably mounted in the groove 55 below the block 51. Pivoted to the bracket 6! at 66 is also a feeder blade 81 having an offset portion 68 which is adapted to engage the wire. A spring construction 69 similar to spring 53 holds the projection.

68 in engagement with the wire as shown in Figure3.

Referring now to Figure 9,,it can be seen that there is attached to the rear surface of the bracket 65, an extension feeder block 10 which is adapted to move the feeder bracket 85 and which extends rearwardly through the aperture 56. The extension feederblock I0 is cutaway to form a ledge 1|. A spring 12 having one end secured in the horizontal member ID as shown at 13 and the other end fixed to-the extension feeder block it as shown at 14 will normally maintain a feeding mechanism in an elevated position.

- for the wire feeding, plunger and cutting mecha- 1 nismsl'LPand K. ,fnl 'igure3itcanbeseenthat.-

side-plates}! and 32' are'attached to the casting by screws 3: and a top-plate u is amxed 'to'the casting. asshown at 25. Aface plate '36 is removably-secured on the casting II by means-of I wingnuts'fl. V 4 v The casting fl is grooved throughout its length as shown'at I! to provide aguideway for a The extension feeder block Ill together with thefeederbracket GI is moved downwardly by means of-a feeder cam 15. The feeder cam 15 is pivotally mounted to the head I by means of a screw 16. The cam isfurther provided with an extension I'l which projects through an aperture la in the rear portion of the head I and engages the ledge 'H. As shown in Figure 9 the cam is rel-mes with an offset. portion so and-a latch ll whichslides through an aperture in the head 1 prevent the cani-fro'm moving too far in a rearwardly direction. A spring 02 associated with the latch-"will keep the latch in the position shown in'Figure 4. However, by pulling on the plunger, 4. that is slidably mounted therein. The plunger 40 is, of course, a portion of the plunger mechanism P.1Referring to Figure 5, it willbe noted that the extremity of the plunger 40 is cut away at '42 toreceive a block 43 which is attached thereto by rivets 44. vIn Figure 3 it can A be seen that the block is provided at one edge thereof with a cam surface 43'. The-block 4! is also provided with a screw-threaded-aperture 45' into which is screwed a screw 40. A plunger point 41 having a head 42 fits into a recess 4! formed in the reduced end portion '42 of the plunger 40. The

block 42 is also provided with 'an'arcuate cutaway portion" of such size as to accommodate the headi4l of the point 41. Itqcan be clearlyseen fron 'rigureo that when the screw 4' is screwed I I into the aperture 4, thebeveled end thereof will bear. against the head ll and the shankofthe head of the latch", it maybe'withdrawn from the position shown in Figure 9 against the action of the spring and permit the cam 'to'be completely moved back about its pivot 18 and out of engagement with the extension feeder block I0. To facilitate manual operationof the cam, a finger enga ing Pin 84 is provided on the offset portion 80,. As will later become more readily appreciated,"by thusmovin g the the wire feeding mechanism E. maybe thrown out of operation.

*A wire guide tube 85', the lower portion of which extends-diagonally .as shown atf, is mounted at the lower end of the groove 55 (see Figure 3). A

plate s"! having a groovedportion into which the tube 85 fits is positioned thereover and secured *to the casting}! by screws in". The tube as. will guide the wire to the cutting mechanism K after it has. been advanced the proper distance by the point 41, thereby holding the plunger point in 7 feeding mechanismr.

' As hereinbefore stated, an important feature of the preseintv invention is. to provide means, by which the length of each fastener can be varied at the will of the operator of the machine. This is accompliihed by adiustably limiting the iip-' vided with an integral reduced extension II which projects through aperture ll formed in the horizontalportionloftheheadl. Ascrcwllis screwed into the cover plate. and bearsagainst the screw-threaded portion of the member II to hold the support in proper position. A plunger pin ll having an enlarged head .1 provided with beveled edges It extends through a bore It in the member Ii. The lower end of the plunger rod I is adapted to rest on the ledge H of the feeder extension vblock 'il. A coil spring It is fitted around the red It and urges the plunger head 81 upwardly.

As shown in Figure 3, the support Si is bifurcated as shown at ill, and an eccentric ill is mounted therein on a shaft II! which extends through aligned apertures in the support 9|. A

pin ill secures the eccentric to the shaft I02.

It should be noted that the eccentric is provided with a plurality of rounded teeth ill into which is adapted to project the beveled portions 98 of the plunger head II. It isbelieved obvious, therefore, that when the eccentric III is rotated, the

position of the feeder bracket ll will be varied due to the position of the plunger 96. or course. the feeder mechanism 1" will be raised or lowered the necessary distance depending upon the direction of rotation of the eccentric iii.

In order to facilitate rotation of the eccentric ill itcanbeseenlnml'etthattheshaft It! carries at its outer end, an operating knob iii. The knob I" is preferably formed with a knurled portion lll'to enable the lingers of the operator to readily move the knob. There is also provided on the knob, a graduated scale ill to aid the operator in determining the length of the fastener required. Inordertolimittherotarymovement of the control button I", there is provided a pair of pins I" which engage a segment i ll carried by the support ll.

Briefly, the wire feeding mechanism 1'' is actuated as follows. when the footpedal it is depressed. the control'rod II is moved downwardly ment of the operating rod II, the wearing surface Ill will slide over the elect extension I. of the cam ll, permitting no further movement of the feeder mechanism. In this manner. the operating red It may continue in its downward stroke to perform subsequent functions as will be described. Immediately upon completion of the downward stroke of the operating mechanism and by release of foot pressure on the treadle it, the

same will bemoved upwardly and when the wear= ing surface I has again passed the offset it, the spring I! will urge the feeder block ll back to its normal position where the plunger pin It,

bears against the ledge Ii, The feeding mechanism l" is then in position for another operation.

The lower end of the casting 3| is provided with a substantially V-shaped extension Ill on which is mounted a stationary knife ill. The stationary knife is substantially a triangular shaped member conforming to the V'-shapedextension in. The outer face of the stationary knife is provided with an arcuate beveled surface in and an annular recess ill in the apex of the triangular end concentric with the beveled surface an. Anangulargroove lllisformedinthe' face of the knife extending radially from the upper edge adjacent the end of the feedtube ll into the beveled portion 12:. A vertical groove III is similarly formed in the face of the knife. Theupperendsofthegrooves III and lilare flared somewhat as shown at I".

A complemental movable knife III is provided with an annular boss in which is adapted to fit within the recess I28 to maintain the two knife members in co-acting relationship. A stud III, as shown in Figure 9, is held permanently by pins IIOA to movableknife I28. Stud ill passes which in turn pulls down a cross-head lit attached to the upper end thereof as shown at iii. A feeder arm Ill having a hardened wearing surface Hl is secured to the cross-head. A blister III is formed on the feeder arm I and an oil duct H8 having a wick III is provided therein for lubricating the wearing surface H6.

Manifestly, when the cross-head H8 is moved downwardly, the f r arm ill will likewise be moved and engage the offset portion II of the cam II. The extension 11 of the cam which bears against the ledge H of the extension feederblock It will move the same downwardly the required distance and simultaneously with this movement of the extension block the elect portion 8 of the feeder blade will bite intojthe wire and move it downwardly a distance which is equal to the downward stroke of the feeder mechanism F. when the feeder arm III has thus moved the wire feeding mechanism, during the intial move- 7 through apertures provided therefor in both knife members. Stud ill, beingapermanent part of movable knife I28, rotates in the aperture of knife member Ill. Them'ovable knife Ill and stud I30 are held securely tostationary knife I21- and to triangular extension Ill-by washer "IA and nut III. This structure'prevides an unrestricted passage for thewire through the stud ill, as described later, regardless of the position of the knife in.

The movable knife is also provided with an annular beveled surface itlwhich conforms with and bears against the beveled surface I22 of the stationary knife ill. An aperture III is formed in the knife i2! and extends from the lower edge upwardly into the surface III. The edge of the aperture I83, where it meets the beveled surface I82, is adaptedto register with and form with the edge of the groove III. an angular shearing surface for the wire to be out. Pivotal movement of the movable knife III will cause the portion of the aperture I" to register with the groove ill to form therewith a continuous aperture throughout the knife. An aperture III isprovldedinthestud ill andisadaptedtoalign with the aperture I88 when it isin both described positions to form an open for the cut wire and the plunger 41..

' The two positions of the knife mentioned above may be called the wire cutting position and fastener positioning position. To cause the movable blade to assume either of these positions, it is provided with an upwardly extending arm I" which terminates in an arcuate surface I" and an angular edge itt'.

A predetermined length of wire is fed as described through: the tube ti and into the groove I25 and the upper portion of the aperture ill of ,plunger point 41 deeper.

the knife I28. carry this length of sition, shearing this the fastener, facilitates driving through the materials to be joined and makes it possible to more easily form the clinched ends. As the movable blade III moves to its vertical position, the length of wire is cut off and drops down to the bottom of the aperture into contact with the material to be fastened thereby being in a position to be driven by the plunger pin.

In Figure 3, it will be noted that the casting III is recessed as shown at M to accommodate the arm Ifl of the movable knife H28. A trip lever I42 for the knife I28 is pivotally mounted in the recess at 3. A depending portion I of the lever I42 is adapted to engage the face I38 of the knife arm WI and maintain the knife in the wire receiving position by means of a lateral extension the vertical edge I of the cam block 48. Upon downward movement of the plunger M, the cam block 63 will the extension I45 and the face 43' will engage the end Ill of the arm and move the same to a su-, tially perpendicular position aligning the aperture 0 with the slot I26. Upon upward movement of the block 43, the upper end of the block will engage the portion I" of the lever I42 and cause it to return the arm I31 and the movable knife lit to their initial positions.

InFlgures3and5itcanbeseenthatthe crosshead I II is formed with an enlarged end ISII having a threaded bore ISI. An exteriorly threaded sleeve II! having an enlarged head I58 is adapted tobescrewedinto the bore I5I. Thehead I53 has a reduced portion I54 which fits within a guide.

socket I55 formed'in the upper portion of the errlarged end I50. v I

The upper end of the plunger 40 is reduced as shown at I56. The reduced portion I" is adapted to extend through the bore of the sleeve I52 and a washer III is interposed between the upper end of the plunger and the bottom "of the-sleeve. The washer flts within a guide recess I58 formed in the enlarged end I" of the cross-head. The upper end of the reduced end I". is exteriorly threaded as shown at I59 and a cap I" is screwed thereon. A friction washer III is positioned between the cap I" and the enlarged head Iii.

accuses The horn or anvil B for supporting the material to be worked upon includes the sleeve 5 which is provided with a projection I'll which extends throughanaperture I'll intheshelf 2'. InFigure 12 it can be seen that a socket I1: is slidably fitted within the sleeve 5. A cup "I is suitably secured to the bottom of the socket I12 and a coil spring I'll has one end positioned against the cup I18 and its opposite end against the sleeve 5. The spring I'll positioned between the stationary sleeve I and the cup I'Ii attached to the movablesocket I" will permit vertical movement of the socket 612 upon actuation of the arm 24, yet will retain the normal position of the socket when the horn is manually raised.

The horn I is also provided with an extension Ii! which extends into the socket I12. As best shown in Figures 13 and 14, the extension I1! is provided with a vertical groove Ill. and a plate i'l'l having rounded ratchet teeth I18 is secured therein by screws ill. The upper end of the socket ll! is formed with a collar I80 having a bifurcated portion I8I. A lever arm II! is pivotally mounted in the bifurcation by means of a screw let. The inner end of the arm in is formed with a rounded projection I" which is adapted to mesh with the rounded teeth I18. The rounded teeth I18 and the rounded projection iBl on the lever I82 afford a particularly desirable construction. When it is desired to lower the horn I, by moving thelever I82 about its pivot to the broken line position shown in Figure 14 the rounded end I disengages itself from the teeth H8, and the extension I15 moves downwardly without the necessity of first rising even a fraction of an inch. This is particularly desirable in case the machine should hang while it is in operation and it should become. necessary to lower the horn to remove the shoe and prevent damage to the plunger point 41. A bleed hole I" is formed in the bottom end of the socket I12 and the cap I13, thereby enabling the extension I'll to move slowly downward.

Briefly, the operation of the machine is as follows. When the required length of the fastener has been determined by the proper manipulation of the feeder adjusting mechanism SI and the 7 wire has passed through the feeding mechanism F An operating handle It! is suitably secured to the side of the cap I" as shown in'l igurefi and a pin I is shown at I" to limit the movement of thehandle I02.

It will be appreciated that the. be either. handle I! depending, of course, upon the direction of rotation of the handle. lf the handle is rotated clockwise,-the sleeve I52 will be screwed downwardly, thereby moving the plunger ll downwardly making the countersink of the On the other hand by moving the handle I82 counterclockwise, the

' sleeve III will be screwed upwardly, thereby moving the P1 8 rod 4| upwardly and making the counter-sink of the plunger point shallower. I

manifestly, the above described structure provides an arrangement for varying the depth of the counter-sink of the plunger point 41 which is simple inconstruction andoperation and which relatively few working parts. Also, it will always insure a'complete stroke of the operating rod 20. c i 1 V plunger rod can ralsedor lowered by movement of the screwed into the cross-head III as '65 arm! and the plunger ll. During this downward cycle "of the operating rod II, the arm H5 will engage the feeder cam It, thus moving the feeding and through the guide tube 85 with its end adjacent the upper edge of the knife K and the material to be joined is pofltioned on the hornrl, the foot treadle II is depressed. The downward movement of the treadle I. will pull down the operating rod 20, the cross-head III, the feeder feeding mechanism 1' and projecting the wire into the knife. The will be fed downwardly into the eomplemental slots Ill and I. a distance which is equal to the downward stroke of the mechanism 1". Atthis point the cam surface of the plunger mechanism ll will engage the area me: the arm Ifl thus moving the arm-to a perpendicular position and actuate the movable knife element In. The movable knife will cause the cutting edges of the movable and stationary blades to, effect a shearing of the wire and form thefasi'ener. when the arm III has reached the limit of its movement, the aperture I25 carrying the fastener will register with the aper ure-J28 x at which time the; fastener willbe in' alignment with the plunger point 41. As the" plunger point continues itsdownward movement it will passthrough the apertures I33 and I35, expelling the fastener and inserting it into the materials to be joined.

Simultaneously with the initial downward movement or the control rod 20, the rod 22 also afiixed to the root treadle will pull down one end of the arm 24. When the arm 24 is moved downwardly, the roller 26 will bear against the cup I13 and the socket I12 and move the horn l upwardly toward the bottom area of the cutting mechanism, fixing the materials to be joined in proper position.

The action of each of the above-mentioned mechanisms occurs during the downward travel of the control rod and while it is moving from its initial position to the limit of its downward stroke. When pressure is removed from the root treadle III, the spring 2| will retum the pedal and the control rod 20 to their initial positions and the machine is again ready for another operation.

Manifestly, from the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that there is provided an anvil or horn which can be quickly and easily adjusted to take care of any given situation. The use of the rounded teeth on the extension of the horn in conjunction with the rounded projection on the operating lever afi'ords a highly desirable structure. For example, when it is desired to lower the horn by moving the lever about its pivot, the rounded end disengages itself from the rounded teeth and the extension moves downwardly without the necessity oi. first rising even a fraction oi! an inch. As previously indicated, this arrangement is particularly eflicacious in the event the machine should hang during the operation and it is necessary to lower the horn to remove the shoe and complete the downward stroke of the plunger point.

Moreover, there is provided in the present application, a construction which is simple in structural detail and operation by which the feeding mechanism can be regulated.

Also, there is provided a simple construction whereby the depth or the counter-sink oi. the plunger point can be easily regulated.

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment oi! our invention, we wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details or cons ction herein set forth by way of illustration, it is apparent that many changes and variations may be made therein, by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention, or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a machine for making and inserting metallic fasteners, a fixed sleeve, a'movable sleeve within the fixed sleeve, a vertically movable horn, an extension for the horn adapted to project into the movable sleeve, teeth on the extension, a lever having a projection adapted to engage the teeth pivoted to the movable sleeve, said projection and teeth being formed so as to avoid any appreciable movement of the horn when the lever is moved about its pivot to move the projection out of engagement with the teeth.

2. In a machine for making and inserting metallic fasteners, a fixed sleeve, a movable sleeve within the fixed sleeve, a vertically movable horn, an extension for the horn adapted to project into the movable sleeve, rounded teeth on the extension, a lever having a rounded to engage the teeth pivoted to the movable sleeve, said projection and teeth being formed so as to avoid any appreciable movement 01' the horn when the lever is moved about its pivot to move the projection out of engagement with the teeth.

A. WATKINS. JOHN G. WRIGHT. CLIFFORD T. HARRIS.

projection adapted 

